It has been suggested in patent application Ser. No. 707,669 filed July 22, l976, the shelves can be readily mounted on a wall by providing two spaced, parallel, vertical rails, each having a plurality of angular slots and by providing the shelf with angularly-directed vanes which fit in a pair of slots, one in each of the two rails. While this construction is very useful, there are situations where the shelf element is not wide enough to span two rails, thereby gaining the stability offered by the double connection. For instance, the problem can arise in the case of a short shelf which is only wide enough to be attached to one rail, or in the case of a shelf bracket where it is desirable to attach one bracket to each of a plurality of rails and, subsequently, to lay a shelf board across the brackets. Not only does the lock of stability which is inherent in this arrangement allow the shelf element to reside at an angle to the rail (so that it has a perculiar or unsatisfactory appearance), but, when valuable bric-a-brac are to be carried on such shelf element, instability offers the possibility of the supported item falling on the floor and breaking. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.
It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a wall fixture including a shelf element mounted on a single vertical rail by means of a slot-and-fin arrangement, wherein means is provided to stablize the connection against angular movement of the shelf element relative to the rail.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a wall fixture having a novel connection between a shelf element and a single vertical rail.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a shelf element having angular fins and integral flanges that can be formed in a simple mold without a side action mechanism.
It is another object of the instant invention to provide a shelf element of complex form which is, nevertheless, drawable from a mold.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a wall fixture consisting of a rail and a shelf and which is capable of a long life of useful service with a minimum of maintenance.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a wall fixture of a very adaptable nature, in which the vertical rails may be used in any selected length and number and in which a variety of shelf elements are available for use with the rails, thus permitting the user to select a combination of rails and shelf elements to suit his taste and needs.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a wall fixture made up of a plurality of elements, wherein the basic design permits the free selection of color combinations to suit a given decor.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a wall fixture consisting of a plurality of elements which are easily dis-assembled for washing or changing.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a wall fixture all of whose elements are capable of being easily and simply manufactured by the injection molding process.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.